Porimol Palma

Mahin Mia was serving guests in a Lebanese restaurant, which is a seven minutes’ walk from the warehouse that exploded on Tuesday evening, rocking entire Beirut.

“There was a bang. The window panes broke and fell on us. I suffered deep cuts on my head and right hand,” said the 23-year-old Bangladeshi migrant, who has been working there since 2016.

Restaurant employees rushed him and some other injured to a nearby hospital. She required 15 stitches to head wounds and his right hand was bandaged.

The next day, he was asked to return to his home where he lives with some 10 other Bangladeshi migrants.

“I myself had to buy medicines. The doctor has asked me to see him after two weeks,” said Mahin, adding that it was a very tough situation for him as he had no idea about when his restaurant would reopen, if at all.

The twin explosion, which is being linked to a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate in the warehouses at Beirut Port, damaged thousands of businesses, homes and other structures and left at least 145 people dead, more than 5,000 wounded and some 300,000 homeless.

At least four Bangladeshis were killed and 102 others, including 21 Bangladesh Navy members, injured.

Mahin said he could hardly send money home in the last few months because the Lebanese Lira was heavily devalued against the US dollar over the last one year.